Ilya Kovalchuk: Still Not a Devil

Remember how Ilya Kovalchuk's agent, Devils brass, and league representatives had "talked conceptually" about a new contract for the free-agent left wing, one the league wouldn't promptly light on fire upon its submission? It appears the league didn't like the concepts being talked about. Though the Devils didn't submit a new, signed contract, they did discuss the proposed structure of such a deal — and the Post reports today that the NHL rejected that framework. According to Puck Daddy's source, the term of the proposed deal was "in the neighborhood of 15 years," and the term appears to be the point of contention.